TRAIL CONDITIONS: Good, but getting it’s getting warmed. Groomed and tracked Wednesday.
HAPPY ALDO LEOPOLD DAY
Daylight savings starts Sunday….let’s see. “Fall: fall back. Spring: spring forward.” Ok, fine. But it doesn’t look much like spring at Crossroads at Big Creek. We haven’t even seen springtails yet. True, the water cress in Big Creek has been green for weeks, but we just haven’t reached that encouraging magic temperature just above freezing when the springtails start springing forward.
To the unobservant, springtails look like soot or dirt out on the snow. But the teensy black thingies–well, they hop. Or spring. A whole mess of them make the snow surface appear to be vibrating. Lots of folks call them snowfleas, but I’ve noticed that whenever that name is used, people start scratching their legs. Snowfleas are not fleas. They do not suck blood. They do not get on dogs (except, perhaps by accident). And they certainly do not spread Lyme’s disease. They just appear when the days get slightly warmer.
Scientists are not even comfortable calling them insects–they don’t have wings, they don’t have three body parts, or insect mouthparts, but I’ll call them insects for lack of a better classification.
How do springtails spring in spring? Each of these insects (or whatevers) has a pair of extra legs which resemble tails because they attach to the rear end. Usually, a springtail tucks these “legs” under its abdomen, where they are held in place by a tiny clasp. When the clasp unhooks, the modified legs push off against the ground and the insect springs into the air–hence the name springtails.
What in the world do they eat out in the melting snow? Little things like fungal filaments, pollen and insect frass (droppings.)
Springtails are always out there, usually feeding in the leaf litter. Probably because their dark bodies constrast with snow, we notice them only in early spring. For me, it’s not a robin, it’s not blooming hepatica, it’s not resetting the clocks and parking lot lights for daylight savings time. Springtails mean spring.
In his classic, A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold wrote: “One swallow does not make a summer, but one skein of geese, cleaving the murk of a March thaw, is the spring.
“A cardinal, whistling spring to a thaw but later finding himself mistaken, can retrieve his error by resuming his winter silence. A chipmunk, emerging for a sunbath but finding a blizzard, has only to go back to bed. But a migrating goose, staking two hundred miles of black night on the chance of finding a hole in the lake, has no easy chance for retreat. His arrival carries the conviction of a prophet who has burned his bridges.”
Reading Aldo Leopold raises our awareness of the change of seasons. So each spring, all over the state of Wisconsin, people take time, on the first Saturday of March, to read the words of Leopold and to rededicate themselves to what he called “a land ethic.”
In other years, Crossroads has held big Aldo Leopold Day events. Remember the premiere of “Green Fire”? The marathon read? No big event this year, but we can’t let the day goes by without honoring this Wisconsin environmentalist.
On March 7 at noon, we invite folks to pack a bag lunch and join us in the Collins Learning Center. We’ll call it Lunch With Leopold. As we eat, we will share readings and film clips. It won’t matter whether a few or many folks show up. All ages will be welcome. Crossroads will have hot spiced apple cider warming on the stove and a fire in the fireplace. Participants should bring a brown bag lunch.
In our Hanson Library, Crossroads has a number of copies of A Sand County Almanac and we are more than happy to lend these and any of our other nature books to any of our visitors. Just ask.
Lunch with Leopold will be winding down just as Free for Ski is opening in our Lower Level. Following the lunch, participants can ski for free. Or, at 1:15, Crossroads also will sponsor a hike (or if snow is deep) a snowshoe hike of our newly acquired Big Creek Cove property.Meet at the Collins Learning Center. We will look for signs of spring on the way, and if spring truly is near, perhaps that hole of open water near the bridge will be filled with early migrating waterfowl.
Friends of Crossroads will be meeting on Tuesday, March 10 at 6:00. As spring approaches, volunteers opportunities will increase. The Friends will plan project for the upcoming season. Visitors are welcome.
Crossroads at Big Creek is a donor-supported preserve offering programs for learners of all ages in science, history and the environment. The Collins Learning Center, located at 2041 Michigan, is open daily 2:00-4:30 and during scheduled events. Trails are always open, but designated ski trails are for skiing only. Hikers, dog walker, bikers, and those on snow shoes are asked to use the hiking trails.
Saturday, March 7
12:00 Lunch with Leopold
Celebrate Aldo Leopold Day with a brown bag lunch gathering during which we will share readings and film clips. It won’t matter whether a few or many folks come.. All ages will be welcome. Crossroads will have hot spiced apple cider warming on the stove and a fire in the fireplace. Participants should bring a brown bag lunch and are welcome to bring healthy snacks to share.
1:00-3:30 Ski-For-Free
Friends of Crossroads and Door County Silent Sports will loan ski and snow shoe equipment free of charge over the holiday week. Equipment must be used at Crossroads. Come to the Lower Level of the Collins Learning Center.
1:15 Signs of Spring Hike (or snowshoe walk)
This hike (or if snow is deep a snowshoe hike) to our newly acquired Big Creek Cove property. We will look for signs of spring on the way, and if spring is near, perhaps that hole of open water will be filled with early migrating waterfowl. Meet at the Collins Learning Center.
Sunday, March 8
1:00-3:30 Ski-For-Free if we have snow
Friends of Crossroads and Door County Silent Sports will loan ski and snow shoe equipment free of charge over the holiday week. Equipment must be used at Crossroads. Come to the Lower Level of the Collins Learning Center.
Tuesday, March 10
6:00 Friends of Crossroads Meeting
As spring approaches, volunteers opportunities will increase. The Friends will plan project for the upcoming season. Visitors are welcome. Collins Learning Center.
